Equipment
Here are just a few questions you can pose to playground manufacturers when purchasing equipment:
- What makes the accessible element accessible?
- Has it been used and tested by children with disabilities?
- Are any of these elements located in an area that can be reviewed?
- Are all of the accessible play elements incorporated into the main path of travel and fully integrated throughout the play area so as not to create segregated situations?
- Are the accessible play elements joined to accessible routes?
- What form(s) of access is(are) provided to the play component?
- Transfer points?
- Ramps?
- Both transfer points and ramps?
- Other?
For each element or experience at the play area that is not accessible, is at least one accessible element provided that will offer the same or similar experience? Are the reach ranges and clear widths appropriate for the designed age group and usable by children with disabilities?
Surfaces
Choosing playground surfaces is one of the most challenging tasks when designing playgrounds due to the need to balance requirements for safety with requirements forv accessibility. For safety, the surface must be resilient to lessen the severity of injuries,while an accessible surface requires enough firmness and stability to allow travel without exerting much effort.
Listed below are a few questions that may help managers evaluate a product to determine if it meets accessibility needs. This is not an all-inclusive list; its purpose is to start managers asking access questions, and help them to become familiar with how to evaluate surfaces.
- Does the surface meet ASTM and other safety requirements for children’s environments when used in a fall zone?
- In all instances, safety should be the primary determining factor as to whether the surface is appropriate in a particular area. ASTM and CPSC have specific safety requirements for surfaces used in play environments. All surfaces used should meet these requirements in all weather conditions (i.e. rain, freezing, extreme heat).
- When applied, is the surface a unitary or loose fill?
- Public input will show you that unitary surfaces (rubber matting, poured-in-place, etc.) are easier to walk or roll over than loose fill (processed wood fiber systems, gravel, sand, etc.).